hypotheticalhurricanesfandomcom-20200216-history
1994 WMHB Atlantic hurricane season
The 1994 Atlantic hurricane season was an average season that produced 11 named storms, 5 hurricanes, and 2 major hurricanes. It officially started on June 1st and ended on November 30th, dates which conventionally limit the period during which most tropical cyclones form in the Atlantic Ocean. The season's first storm, Tropical Storm Alberto, developed on June 28th, while the last storm, Tropical Storm Keith, dissipated on November 18th. While the season was more active than the three seasons before it, activity was much less than that of the following season. The season's strongest storm was Hurricane Ernesto, a Category 4 hurricane that had devastating impacts in Central America. In total, Ernesto caused $2.8 billion in damages and was responsible for 771 deaths across Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama. In September, Hurricane Gordon brushed Bermuda as a Category 2 hurricane, and later struck Atlantic Canada as a powerful extratropical cyclone, causing thousands of power outages. The season's last storm, Hurricane Keith, was a devastating Category 1 hurricane that struck Central America after it had already been devastated by Hurricane Ernesto 3 months prior. Seasonal Summary ImageSize = width:800 height:240 PlotArea = top:10 bottom:80 right:20 left:20 Legend = columns:3 left:30 top:58 columnwidth:270 AlignBars = early DateFormat = dd/mm/yyyy Period = from:01/06/1994 till:01/12/1994 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal ScaleMinor = grid:black unit:month increment:1 start:01/07/1994 Colors = id:canvas value:gray(0.88) id:GP value:red id:TD value:rgb(0.38,0.73,1) legend:Tropical_Depression_=_<39_mph_(0–62_km/h)_(TD) id:TS value:rgb(0,0.98,0.96) legend:Tropical_Storm_=_39–73_mph_(63–117 km/h)_(TS) id:C1 value:rgb(1,1,0.80) legend:Category_1_=_74–95_mph_(119–153_km/h)_(C1) id:C2 value:rgb(1,0.91,0.46) legend:Category_2_=_96-110_mph_(154-177_km/h) id:C3 value:rgb(1,0.76,0.25) legend:Category_3_=_111-130_mph_(178-209-km/h) id:C4 value:rgb(1,0.56,0.13) legend:Category_4_=_131-155_mph_(210-249_km/h) id:C5 value:rgb(1,0.38,0.38) legend:Category_5_=_>=156_mph_(>=250_km/h) Backgroundcolors = canvas:canvas BarData = barset:Hurricane bar:Month PlotData= barset:Hurricane width:11 align:left fontsize:S shift:(4,-4) anchor:till from:28/06/1994 till:01/07/1994 color:TS text:"Alberto (TS)" from:16/07/1994 till:20/07/1994 color:TS text:"Beryl (TS)" from:27/07/1994 till:03/08/1994 color:C1 text:"Chris (C1)" from:08/08/1994 till:11/08/1994 color:TS text:"Debby (TS)" from:15/08/1994 till:27/08/1994 color:C4 text:"Ernesto (C4)" from:31/08/1994 till:04/09/1994 color:TS text:"Florence (TS)" barset:break from:08/09/1994 till:14/09/1994 color:C2 text:"Gordon (C2)" from:09/09/1994 till:16/09/1994 color:C2 text:"Helene (C2)" from:21/09/1994 till:22/09/1994 color:TD text:"Nine (TD)" from:28/09/1994 till:01/10/1994 color:TS text:"Isaac (TS)" from:12/10/1994 till:18/10/1994 color:TS text:"Joyce (TS)" from:12/11/1994 till:18/11/1994 color:C1 text:"Keith (C1)" bar:Month width:5 align:center fontsize:S shift:(0,-20) anchor:middle color:canvas from:01/06/1994 till:01/07/1994 text:June from:01/07/1994 till:01/08/1994 text:July from:01/08/1994 till:01/09/1994 text:August from:01/09/1994 till:01/10/1994 text:September from:01/10/1994 till:01/11/1994 text:October from:01/11/1994 till:01/12/1994 text:November TextData = pos:(570,30) text:"(From the" pos:(617,30) text:"Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale)" Systems Tropical Storm Alberto A tropical wave was first located over the tropical Atlantic on June 27th. With a lack of significant wind shear, the wave organized into a tropical depression the next day. While tracking westward across the Atlantic Ocean, the depression strengthened into Tropical Storm Alberto before entering the Caribbean Sea on June 29th. The storm turned to the northeast and approached Haiti. On June 30th, Alberto made landfall at peak intensity in the province of Sud in western Haiti. Heavy rains from Alberto triggered mudslides on the island as it continued northwest to strike Cuba. Alberto quickly weakened over Cuba, becoming a tropical depression on July 1st. The storm continued north into Florida, where it ultimately dissipated at 16:00 UTC. Impacts in Haiti and Cuba were relatively minimal, although mudslides and flooding claimed the lives of 14 people across the countries. Heavy rains were also felt in Jamaica, although there are no records of damage from Alberto on the island. Tropical Storm Beryl On July 15th, a non-tropical low developed at the tail end of a cold front over the Atlantic Ocean. The low quickly acquired subtropical characteristics, and it was designated as Subtropical Depression Two on July 16th. By 21:00 UTC, the subtropical depression had acquired tropical characteristics, and a reconnaissance flight into the system reported that it was producing gale-force winds. Thus, the NHC upgraded the depression to Tropical Storm Beryl. Tracking east, Beryl continued to gradually strengthen as it left the influence of its parent system, and on July 18th had reached wind speeds of 60 mph (65 km/h). Favorable conditions were expected to allow Beryl to strengthen into a hurricane, but wind shear approaching from the west inhibited further development as Beryl tracked northeast towards Portugal. On July 19th, Beryl weakened to a tropical depression and began to undergo an extratropical transition. The storm had finished extratropical transition on July 20th as it continued towards Portugal, eventually dissipating later the same day. Hurricane Chris A tropical wave entered the Caribbean Sea on July 25th. The wave did not show any signs of organization until July 27th, when it began to strengthen unusually rapidly in the northwest Caribbean Sea. The NHC designated this wave as a tropical depression at 16:00 UTC based on the presence of a well-defined core. At 21:00 UTC, the depression produced a wind gust of 50 mph, suggesting sustained wind speeds of 40 mph. Shortly therafter, the NHC upgraded the depression to Tropical Storm Chris while located in the Yucatan Channel. On July 29th, while located over the Gulf of Mexico, Chris became the first hurricane of the 1994 season. Tracking slowly northward, Chris continued to slowly strengthen, reaching a peak intensity of 85 mph (140 km/h) with a minimum pressure of 979 mbar. On August 1st, Chris made landfall in western Louisiana as a Category 1 hurricane. Heavy rains caused coastal and river flooding, and the storm was reported to have spawned at least 6 tornadoes, all of F0 intensity. Due to the low elevation of the state of Louisiana, Chris weakened slowly, maintaining hurricane status for nearly 6 hours until being downgraded to a Tropical Storm. Chris continued to dump heavy rain overland as it continued to weaken. On August 2nd, Chris became a post-tropical cyclone over Arkansas and continued tracking northeast until its remnants were absorbed by a cold front over the Midwest on August 3rd. Overall, Chris was responsible for 2 deaths and $180 million in damages, all in the states of Louisiana and Texas. Tropical Storm Debby A cold-core low formed off the coast of North Carolina on August 7th. The low began to strengthen the next day as it transitioned into a subtropical depression. Fueled by the warm waters of the Gulf Stream, the depression gradually transitioned into a tropical system, albeit still displaying some subtropical characteristics such as its winds being cast away from the center. Nevertheless, strengthening was imminent, and the NHC designated the depression as Tropical Storm Debby at 16:00 UTC, August 8th. Debby tracked swiftly northeast through the Gulf Current, its minimum pressure dropping to 997 mbar and wind speeds increasing to 50 mph (85 km/h) on August 9th. Debby maintained its status as a tropical system for the next day or so until it began to transition into an extratropical system. It briefly became a subtropical storm before it ultimately became a post-tropical cyclone on August 11th. Debby continued northeast past Newfoundland before being absorbed by a larger extratropical system just before 0:00 UTC the next day. Hurricane Ernesto A tropical wave was moving across the tropical Atlantic on August 15th. Convection increased in the well-defined system, and the NHC upgraded this wave to a tropical depression later that day. Tracking westward into the Caribbean Sea, the depression slowly strengthened, although it began to weaken as it turned southwest. It was expected that the depression would degenerate into a tropical wave by August 18th, but it began to strengthen again on August 17th, and more rapidly. The NHC upgraded the tropical depression to a tropical storm, giving it the name Ernesto. Moving across the Guajira Peninsula on August 18th, Ernesto brought heavy rainfall and mudslides to Colombia in a rare landfall. Tracking generally westward, Ernesto began to rapidly intensify shortly after becoming a hurricane on August 19th. By 2:00 UTC on August 20th, Ernesto had strengthened into a Category 3 hurricane, the first major hurricane of the season. The storm's movement speed slowed drastically as it approached Central America. On August 21st, Ernesto had begun to weaken after an eyewall replacement cycle, and it then remained nearly stationary over the Caribbean Sea. However, Ernesto again rapidly intensified to become a Category 4 hurricane on August 23rd. On August 25th, Ernesto made landfall in Central America in southern Nicaragua. Torrential rainfall triggered mudslides across 5 countries. Ernesto's landfall was marked by extensive loss of life. At least 771 people died from mudslides in Central America, with another 146 missing. Damage was also extensive to the capital of Nicaragua, Managua. Damages to the city and numerous villages totaled to $2.8 billion (1994 USD). In addition, at least 5 square miles of rainforest was badly damaged or destroyed. Ernesto remained an organized system, and emerged into the Pacific basin as a strong tropical storm. It was renamed Fabio ''per policies at the time. However, wind shear inhibited further development of Fabio, and it degenerated quickly into an open wave on August 30th. '''Tropical Storm Florence' A large cold-core low began to interact with a trough of low pressure on August 29th. As a result, the low strengthened, and as it dipped southward it began to acquire subtropical characteristics. By August 31st, the system had gathered enough subtropical characteristics to be classified as Subtropical Storm Two. By September 1st, the subtropical storm had transitioned into a fully tropical system, and the NHC reclassified it as Tropical Storm Florence. Tracking northeast, Florence maintained its tropical characteristics for only another day, when it transitioned to a subtropical cyclone shortly after reaching peak intensity of 60 mph (95 km/h). Florence continued northeast as a subtropical cyclone for another day until becoming an extratropical cyclone around 450 miles northwest of Spain on September 3rd. The extratropical remnant of Florence continued northeast towards the British Isles, affecting Ireland and the United Kingdom with strong winds and gusty conditions as well as moderate rainfall before dissipating on September 4th. Hurricane Gordon The NHC first noted another cold-core low off the coast of Florida on September 6th. The nearly stationary low did not show signs of organization until September 7th, when it began to interact with a tropical wave and became a tropical low. Despite showing some subtropical characteristics, the NHC classified the low as Tropical Depression Seven on September 8th. By September 9th, the depression had organized significantly and now resembled a well-developed tropical storm. Thus, the NHC upgraded the depression to Tropical Storm Gordon. Shortly after, Gordon underwent a short period of rapid intensification, becoming a hurricane on September 10th. Tracking swiftly northward, Gordon strengthened into a Category 2 hurricane on September 12th. Shortly after reaching peak intensity, Gordon began weakening as it approached Atlantic Canada. Shortly after weakening below hurricane strength, Gordon became a post-tropical cyclone on September 14th. It continued to race to the northeast at 40 mph before it was absorbed by a larger extratropical system over the northern Atlantic. Hurricane Helene At around the same time that Tropical Depression Seven formed, another tropical wave that had been organizing gradually began to display signs of development, and it was upgraded to Tropical Depression Eight early on September 9th. Tracking northeast, the depression strengthened into Tropical Storm Helene the next day. Due to its fast movement speed, Helene was expected to undergo Fujiwhara interaction with nearby Hurricane Gordon, but the latter's forward speed began to increase and it accelerated away from Helene. Avoiding a Fujiwhara interaction with Gordon allowed Helene to strengthen, and it became a hurricane on September 11th while southwest of Bermuda. It was initially expected to threaten the island as a Category 2 hurricane, and a watch was issued for the island on that day. Helene did strengthen to a Category 2 hurricane, but it veered further north than expected and passed well offshore Bermuda. On September 13th, Helene was thought to have strengthened into a Category 3 major hurricane, but post-season analysis confirmed its wind speeds remained just short of this classification. On September 14th, Helene began weakening over cooler waters southeast of Nova Scotia, and on August 15th became a hurricane-force extratropical cyclone. The remnants of Helene continued northeast over the cold northern Atlantic where they dissipated on September 16th. Tropical Depression Nine On September 21st, Tropical Depression Nine formed from a long-tracked tropical wave in the Gulf of Mexico. The depression tracked slowly westward, but remained a rather disorganized and weak system. The depression brushed the northern tip of the Yucatan Peninsula, bringing moderately heavy rains to the area. However, the depression's most destructive effects occurred in Mexico, where heavy rains caused a flooding event in Tamaulipas and northern Veracruz. In these areas, rainstorms had already loosened soil in the mountains and worn roads in cities. During Nine's passage, the heavy rains from the system contributed to a major and widespread flooding event and caused mudslides as far inland as Nuevo Leon. While the depression dissipated rapidly over land, it left behind entire cities flooded and villages buried under mud and debris from landslides. At least 11 fatalities were reported from the landslides and flooding, and at least $20 million in economic losses was reported. Tropical Storm Isaac An upper-level low separated from a cold front in late September. The warm waters of the Gulf Stream off the coast of South Carolina favored tropical development of the low, and on September 28th it became Tropical Depression Ten. Afterward, the system rapidly organized and strengthened, becoming Tropical Storm Isaac in a mere 4 hours. Following the Gulf Stream northeast, Isaac intensified to winds of 60 mph (95 km/h) off the Outer Banks. While Isaac itself did not pose a threat to land or cause any effects, its parent frontal system, which Isaac was interacting with, spawned several tornadoes in Virginia and North Carolina, as well as dumping heavy rain across the states. On September 30th, Isaac began to rapidly weaken as it began to merge with the front, finally completing the interaction early on October 1st. Tropical Storm Joyce A tropical wave exited the African coast on October 11th. Conditions appeared favorable for development of a tropical cyclone, and the NHC monitored the wave for development. In a span of 12 hours, the wave organized significantly, and a well-defined center was prevalent on satellite imagery. Thus, the NHC classified the wave as a tropical depression on October 12th. However, the depression struggled with unexpectedly strong wind shear due to a developing El Nino, and it degenerated to an open wave early on October 14th. Despite prevailing wind shear, the remnants of the depression re-organized and began to steadily intensify as they tracked northward. They were eventually reclassified as a tropical depression, and then a tropical storm on October 16th, receiving the name Joyce from the NHC. Joyce continued to track northeast over the next 2 days until it reached colder waters and weakened. Joyce became an extratropical cyclone on October 18th and was then absorbed by a swift moving frontal system later the same day. Hurricane Keith The El Nino that had been showing signs of development throughout October began to deteriorate in early November. At that time, a late-season tropical wave had entered the Caribbean Sea and merged with another tropical low. The resulting system strengthened under favorable conditions after the El Nino failed to develop, and the system was classified as Tropical Depression Twelve on November 12th. Slowly tracking west, the depression continued to strengthen gradually. The NHC upgraded the depression to Tropical Storm Keith on November 13th. Keith continued to strengthen rather slowly in the Caribbean Sea, but as it approached Central America it began to intensify faster, becoming the season's fifth hurricane on November 16th. Keith continued to strengthen, reaching a peak intensity at 90 mph (150 km/h), a strong Category 1 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale. On November 17th, Keith made landfall at peak intensity near Bluefields, Nicaragua. The region experienced torrential rains and mudslides from Guatemala to Costa Rica, resulting in numerous fatalities. Thousands of homes, buildings, roads, and bridges were destroyed by flooding and mudslides, totaling to $375 million (1994 USD) in damages. In addition, 207 people died from the storm. While Keith weakened rapidly over land, it continued to produce heavy rains over Central America until it finally dissipated on November 18th. Its remnant circulation would survive to contribute to the development of Tropical Storm Norman in the East Pacific. Storm Names During the season the following names were used for tropical storms that formed within the North Atlantic Ocean. This list is the same as that used in the 1988 season, with the exception of Gordon, which replaced Gilbert. The names not retired from this list were used again in the 2000 season. Retirement At their meeting in the spring of 1995, the World Meteorological Association retired the names Ernesto and Keith from the list above. They were replaced by Evan and Kirk for the 2000 season. Category:Past Hurricane Seasons Category:WMHB Seasons (Cooper) Category:What-might-have-been seasons